NO sleep til … Burslem. The hugely anticipated statue of rock icon Lemmy – containing the star’s ashes – is to be unveiled next month in the late Motörhead musician’s Staffordshire home town.

Titled Lemmy Forever, the bronze, featuring Lemmy in trademark stage pose with his beloved Rickenbacker bass, will tower 15ft above passers-by in the town’s marketplace.

The rocker himself will stand over seven-foot tall, mounted atop an 8ft plinth, in keeping with his towering stage presence and reputation as one of the hell-raising greats of hard rock.

Picture: IRK Legacy

Sneak preview pictures showing the statue in its clay modelling stage reveal some of the close attention paid to detail by sculptor Andy Edwards, himself a big Motörhead fan.

Motörhead bandmate Phil Campbell will be a special guest at the unveiling ceremony on Friday May 9, which is something of a double anniversary for all involved.

It’ll mark both Motörhead’s 50-year milestone, with the unveiling coming the day after International Motörhead Day, and Stoke-on-Trent’s 100 years of city status. 

Lemmy was born Ian Fraser Kilmister on Christmas Eve 1945 in Burslem, the town dubbed the Mother of the Potteries. He died on December 28, 2015 in Los Angeles at the age of 70.

After leaving trance-rockers Hawkwind, Lemmy formed Motörhead in 1975 and the trio built a reputation as one of the loudest, and most successful, hard rock bands in the world.

They released 23 studio albums, 10 live recordings, 12 compilation albums and five EPs, including the now iconic Overkill, Ace Of Spades, Bomber and No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith.

Sculptor Andy lives locally and is renowned for his work, including the Beatles statue on Liverpool’s Pier Head and the Brian Clough and Peter Taylor sculpture at Derby County’s Pride Park.

Lemmy was modelled in Staffordshire clay and cast in bronze, and it was important to get it right, says Andy, with attention given to the finest details to create a lasting legacy.

“Lemmy was a personal hero to me,” he says. “I first saw Motörhead play live at Hanley’s Victoria Hall in 1979, shortly after a school friend told me to listen to the Overkill album.

“The photo of Lemmy on the album’s back cover was one I used for reference when working on the sculpture. I recreated, as accurately as possible, the Rickenbacker 4001 he played when the band played Vale Park. I wanted it to be right.”

An official statement from Motörhead reads: “Friends, Romans, Countrymen, women, and Motörhead fans of all sorts and creeds, we are delighted to confirm that the Lemmy Forever ceremony and statue unveiling in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent will take place on Friday May 9, starting at 4pm GMT.

“Phil Campbell will be there to mark the placement of Lem’s ashes in a magnificent statue created by local sculptor and huge Motörhead fan, Andy Edwards. We are delighted to see Lemmy Forever in his birthplace.”